Princess Diana’s Infamous “Black Sheep” Sweater Will Soon Be Up For Auction

In 1981, Princess Diana attended a polo match of then-Prince Charles’s wearing a red sweater with a sheep motif. Little did she know (but similar to many headline-grabbing styles she wore) it would soon become one of her most infamous pieces. Now, thanks to New York auction house Sotheby’s (and a little bit of luck on the part of the piece’s designers), the exact sweater she wore will soon be on sale for the first time in history.

Designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne of knitwear label Warm & Wonderful, the sweater features rows of white sheep and a single black one towards the middle of the garment. Many believe the pattern to be a symbol of Diana feeling like an outlier in the Royal family.

The Princess adored the sweater so much that when she found a tear in it, she had her private secretary request that the brand make another one for her. In addition to the sweater itself, Sotheby’s will also be auctioning off her personal note about it from Buckingham Palace.

There will be two letters—one requesting the replacement sweater and a thank you letter from her secretary, Oliver Everett—included in the auction. “Lady Diana would be most grateful if you could look at it,” the note reads. “She likes it very much and would love to see it restored to health or replaced!”

Though Warm & Wonderful stopped producing the style in 1994, it became somewhat of a signature for the Princess. There is a sweater of the same design in the permanent collection of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, and actress Emma Corin also wore a replica of the piece during the fourth season of Netflix’s The Crown.

Muir and Osborne, who credit the Princess’s cosign for launching their brand, partnered with American label Rowing Blazers in 2020 for a limited reissue of the design (there are still some floating around on secondhand markets). But, until a fateful search earlier this year, the British designers had misplaced the original sweater worn by Diana.

“This past March, as we were rummaging through the attic searching for an old pattern, we spotted a small box,” the pair explained. “Inside, tucked away beside a cotton bedspread, was Diana’s original red sheep sweater from 1981. Now, almost four decades later, this one-of-a-kind sheep sweater is ready to make its way into the hands of a fortunate collector.”

Thanks to their discovery, the piece will headline Sotheby’s inaugural Fashion Icons Sale taking place this September. Online bidding will start on August 31st and will carry to September 13th. Although Sotheby’s currently holds the record for the most expensive Princess Diana dress ever sold, at $604,800, the Warm & Wonderful piece carries an estimate between $50-80,000 (not like that’s anything to scoff at).

“This exceptional garment, meticulously preserved, carries the whispers of Princess Diana’s grace, charm, and her keen eye for fashion,” Cynthia Houlton, Sotheby’s Global Head of Fashion and Accessories, said. “It’s an honor to offer this historic sweater, placing it in dialogue with other memorable and culturally important items of clothing.”